Hi! I’m new here. I don’t mean to make anyone uncomfortable but I can’t find any info anywhere else concerning this subject. I have a three month old baby and need to have the decompression surgery pretry soon. I understand the post op time is pretty intense and the need to not stress any muscles is essential to a good recovery. However, for me and my daughter, I really don’t want to give up nursing if I don’t have to do so. Does anybody have any experience doing this post op, or know someone who has? I’m not even sure about any medications that would require “pumping and dumping” before I am “cleaned out” Again, Im a mom and used to these conversations but I apologize if Ive done this the wrong way. Thanks for your help!
Randi,
My son was 2 when I had my surgery and I stopped breast feeding him when he was 18months but as a mom who LOVED breast feeding I completely understand your fear that you will have to stop and your desire not to. The first thing I would say is to ask your doctor and your pediatrician. That being said I know that somketimes doctors are not very supportive of breast feeding for a long time. The other thing I would do is contact the La Leche League. They will probably be able to give you support and advice. They will have a local group near you. I had poison ivy really bad with my son and they wanted me to stop breast feeding to take steroids. I fought it and kept breast feeding.
As far as your comfort it might be easier to pump more than breast feed when you are sore. I don't know about the medicine and pumping and dumping. You might want to practice side feeding while lying down. That might be the most comfortable postion after surgery. Also one of those Boppy Pillows will eliminate the need to hold the baby while feeding. I was in a lot of pain with my son and my left arm was really bad. I used the pillow and it made my life so much better. I even used to walk around with him on top of it sometimes and my hips would hold some of his weight.
It will be difficult but with a lot of planning and desire I bet you could do it. Good luck
Wendy
Thanks. I was just thinking about checking with La Leche League! Ireally don’t want to cause damage to me when my kds need me around and healthy more than the baby needs to nurse. I do believe it will help me to get back into the swing of things to just keep nursing her rather than just give up. Besides, bottles are so much harder! Thanks for the pep talk!
Randi,
I know breast feeding is important for you and your baby. I would recommend that you start a Discussion about Surgical and Recovery experiences. You need to be informed. I don't want you to get your heart broke if you are unable to breast feed after surgery. We have many positive & negative CM situations. I promise I will be praying for you.
Tracy Z.
My children are now grown, but I was a very committed nursing mommy to my babies, so I understand your concern. I would think for the most part that there is some way that you could work around your surgery and continue nursing somehow, even if it is part time until you can go back to full time nursing. I would think it would be a good idea to begin pumping now so that you have some breastmilk frozen for feedings on the day of surgery, as well as a day or so post-op.
the pillow is a great idea as well as side nursing. Believe me, you will be laying on your side a lot!
I do get concerned about mommies of little ones lifting and carrying them. How do you mommas of little ones work around that after surgery?
Hi there! I'm a lactation educator, doula, and childbirth educator... You can definitely pump extra and freeze breastmilk to store for when you're in surgery/recovery. The hospital should even have a pump for you to use during recovery to keep your supply up. Ask your neurosurgeon what meds they will be using and if they're safe for breastfeeding. You can also look them up online. If you don't feel safe giving baby any milk while using medications, continue to pump and dump pretty consistently (and hand express while pumping/after pumping to make sure all the milk is purged). Since your baby is "older" (technically), transitioning from bottle to breast again shouldn't be too hard. :) Just keep that supply up! Once it starts to dwindle, it gets harder to get it back.
Hope that helps!
Katrina W.
How do you mommas of little ones work around that after surgery?
I don't know about mommas, but as a stay at home dad who had an 18 mo to handle post-op (grand parents helped) I can say you can isolate muscle groups in the lower back and forearms to help with the baby lifting. However, your backs might be a bit worn out from the extra weight up top after the baby, and that may make it tough to do the muscle isolation.
I never tried to get my boy up too high when picking him up post-op, but I bet you could support the butt with one hand, the neck/back with the other, and the baby would be around nursing height without putting too much strain on the surgical site. Have the boppy pillow and the forearms do most of the work? Carrying worked the same way over short distances.
If you can arrange something, there are post-partum doulas who do things around the house for new moms. They may be willing to help a mom with a newborn/infant if she's just had surgery. They do things like tidy up, help cook meals, help with breastfeeding issues, etc. and are there a few set hours a week. They are a godsend! :)
And as for breastfeeding, there are a variety of positions that would be more comfortable... There's this "new" (not really, but people are now seeing the benefits of it!) position where mom is semi-reclined on pillows and baby is laid with his head on mom's chest, legs down her belly. They can pop on and off as they please, no real arm or back strain in mom. I don't known if this will work for older babies who already have a "preference" of position/side/etc. But it's worth a shot!
Dylan said:
How do you mommas of little ones work around that after surgery?
I don't know about mommas, but as a stay at home dad who had an 18 mo to handle post-op (grand parents helped) I can say you can isolate muscle groups in the lower back and forearms to help with the baby lifting. However, your backs might be a bit worn out from the extra weight up top after the baby, and that may make it tough to do the muscle isolation.
I never tried to get my boy up too high when picking him up post-op, but I bet you could support the butt with one hand, the neck/back with the other, and the baby would be around nursing height without putting too much strain on the surgical site. Have the boppy pillow and the forearms do most of the work? Carrying worked the same way over short distances.